Screaming in Silence
by frequentlyrandom
Summary: Something mysterious happened in the woods that night. Now Matt is dead and Elena refuses to speak. Two years later a mysterious man named Stefan enters her life. A man with secrets of his own. Please review if you read. Any & all feedback is appreciated
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter One: Spring**

From her place at the edge of the garden, Elena Gilbert took in her surroundings.

The tulips she planted last winter were just now peaking through the uneven earth. It was growing warmer with each passing day, she noticed. Soon she would be able to plant a few more seasonal plants in the small garden. _Daffodils would be nice,_ she thought.

These days Elena spent most of her time in the garden just outside the boarding house.

The garden provided her with a distraction- if only for a short moment in time. It prevented her from thinking. Thinking about what had been. Thinking about what happened. Thinking about that night.

Two short years ago, her life had been so different. Everyone had loved and admired her. She was the head cheerleader for Robert E. Lee High School. Her best friends, Bonnie and Meredith, were the greatest companions a person could ever ask for. She excelled in all of her courses. And she was even class valedictorian.

Most importantly, she had a wonderful relationship with Matt. They had been together practically since birth having lived next door to one another since they were two years old. Their parents quickly became good friends, and the duo soon began to have frequent play dates. At the age of five, they entered kindergarten together. Everything Matt did, Elena did as well, and vice versus. They were the best of friends.

When Elena was only thirteen years old her parents died in, what she would later learn, was a head-on collision with a semi-truck on the back roads of Virginia. Elena had been spending the weekend with Matt and his family while her parents went visit her Aunt Judith up north. This was a horrible time in Elena's life; but with much needed comfort and support from Matt, she was able to be overcome her depression and find happiness again. That happiness was Matt.

When they were fifteen years old, they officially became a couple. No one was surprised. They were practically joined at the hip already. Their friendship easily transitioned into a relationship, and they soon realized what it was like to love another human being so completely that your heart hurt when they were not with you.

Senior year, they were both accepted into a prestigious university in California. Together, they decided to take it. They would be able start a whole new life out in California. A life of their own- or so she thought.

Out of the corner of her eye, Elena could see a figure slowly approaching. _Probably Mrs. Flowers_, she thought. She occasionally came out to sit with her. Mrs. Flowers would talk to her about the garden and show her appreciation for the work Elena had put into it. She would even tell her stories from her past.

The townsfolk felt the pairing was a good match. Mrs. Flowers had so many stories to tell and well- Elena, all she could do was listen.

The town pitied her after that night. They weren't clear on the chain of events, but they knew the ending. Matt was dead.

It didn't take long for rumors to begin about what happened out there in the woods. "Drug addicts", some people said. "Escaped convicts", said another. They all had their own theory on how Matt had died. But there was only one person who really knew what took place that night, and that person was Elena. But she wasn't talking. Not for anything.

Doctors said she had a psychotic break that night. What she must have witnessed, they assumed, must have been so horrifying that she could not speak of it, or anything else.

The figure was much closer now, but to her dismay it was not Mrs. Flowers at all. She quickly looked the man up and down. Dark features, those mysterious but penetrating eyes, and rock hard body. Her thoughts drifted for a second but she swiftly shook her head. She returned her gaze to the blossoming tulips just as he approached.

"Would you mind if I sat with you", he asked as he gestured to the old wooden bench she was perched upon.

She slowly looked up at him. _Those eyes…_ she thought. And she gradually nodded her head.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two: Diary**

Elena returned her gaze to the garden as the young man sat down. They remained in awkward silence for nearly five minutes before the young man spoke.

"Hello, my name is Stefan," he said, extending his hand to her. She starred at him blankly for a moment and then reached her hand out to meet his. Elena noticed that Stefan looked as if he was waiting for her to share her name as well. _He must not know, _she thought.

Elena retracted her hand and looked away from him, signaling to him that she had no intentions of speaking.

"I just moved into the boarding house yesterday," he shared. "Mrs. Flowers has been so kind to me." To that, Elena nodded. She liked Mrs. Flowers. She never felt guilty for not speaking to her. They had an understood relationship. Mrs. Flowers kept her company, and Elena listened to her stories.

Nearly ten minutes passed before Stefan spoke again, "Am I bothering you? Because, if I am, I can leave. You were here first. It's only fair."

Elena shifted her head to look at him. She hated it when people didn't know, when people just thought she was being unfriendly or rude. She shook her head.

Stefan took this as an invitation to stay and nodded in appreciation.

They both sat in silence for quite some time before Stefan rose from the bench. "I need to be going now. It was nice sitting with you." Elena smiled back up at him just before he departed.

_Dear Diary,_

_I met someone new today. His name is Stefan. He looks to be about my age. He has dark hair and these amazing green eyes. His body is in fantastic shape too._

_Two years later and I still feel guilty for looking at other men. It's just… Matt meant so much to me. I know we were going to spend our lives together, I just know it. But now, Matt's gone and I'm just… here. _

_Sometimes I wonder what I should do with my life. I can't go on like this forever. I can't keep living in my old world. But part of me just wants everything to stay the same. I've had enough change in my life. _

_I like it here at the boarding house. If I don't want to be around people I can just stay in my room. I don't even have to go out to the grocery store because Mrs. Flowers does all of our shopping for us. I don't want to leave here. I'm not ready. I'm not ready to move on and accept what's happened. _

_When Aunt Judith first put me in therapy after it happened, I almost wanted to laugh. She thought if she just took me to some shrink they could fix me, fix everything that happened. Well they can't. No one can fix what happened. No one can bring Matt back. _

_After two months of forcing me to go to therapy once a week Aunt Judith finally stopped making me go. The therapist wasn't even able to get a single word out of me._

_I think one of the best decisions Aunt Judith ever made was when she chose to send me here. She had been friends with Mrs. Flowers for quite some time and she understood the "situation" as Aunt Judith liked to call it. She thought it would have been good for me to get away- to escape reality. And it was, but it still doesn't mean I'm going to be holding up my end of a conversation anytime soon. _

_I really don't think anyone will ever understand. No one has seen what I have seen. They weren't there that night. They don't know._

_Elena_


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three: Stefan**

The next morning Stefan set out to speak with Mrs. Flowers. He gently knocked on the door to the study and entered a few seconds later after he heard a "come in".

Mrs. Flowers was sitting behind a great oak desk, surrounded in what looked like a mountain of paperwork. She looked up at him and a smile soon crept across her face. "Hello Stefan! How are you? Are you liking it here?" She asked as she put down the pen she had been writing with earlier.

"Yes, everything is very nice here. Thank you." Stefan sat down in one of the seats across from her. "I came to ask you a question about someone I met yesterday- a girl I met. I don't know her name. She didn't tell me. She didn't say anything actually." At this Mrs. Flowers began to smile. "Do you know who I'm describing?" he asked her puzzled.

"Yes, I do. Her name is Elena. She lives here as well."

"I don't quite know how to ask this but, is she shy? Or does she just now speak to anyone?"

At this, Mrs. Flower's smile faded. "Elena doesn't speak to anyone," she said, looking down at the paper in front of her. "Two year ago, there was… an incident. Something happened and her boyfriend died. No one quite knows how. The body was never found. Everyone knows Elena was out there in the woods with him that night. She won't speak about it though. It is too painful. I think it's too painful for her to speak at all, actually. You see, her and this boy, Matt, they were inseparable. You looked at them and you could see the love. That is why no one questioned her silence when he went missing. It is only through nods that they found out he died." Stefan's face was now somber. "It was all so tragic," She added.

"Is… is there anything I can do?" he asked, genuinely.

"I'm afraid not. Elena is only going to talk when she is ready. It could be weeks, it could be months, it could be years. But, if you want to do something, you can just talk to her. I can tell she likes the company."

Stefan looked up at her with a half-hearted smile, "Thank you" he said as he rose from his chair. He gave Mrs. Flowers one last nod and then left the room.

Stefan quietly closed the door behind him. There was something about this girl- Elena, that he found so… intriguing but familiar at the same time. _I need to know her. But how? She doesn't speak. _He would just have to find a way around that.

Or maybe, he was just the person she needed to finally speak again.

****

Stefan glanced around his bedroom. He had already completely unpacked his belongings, though he had only been at the boarding house a couple of days. He hadn't brought much with him. He liked to pack lightly so he could move quickly from place to place. This had come in handy when he was following… her.

He had tried so hard to stop her. Stop her from killing, killing them all. But he had been too late. He was always too late. Even three years later, he wasn't able to stop her, let alone find her.

That's what had brought him to the boarding house. Some unexplainable force had told him to come here. But it hadn't physically told him. It was more like he had been pushed in this direction.

After all this time, he just hoped that he could find her. That he could finally be able to stop her, even if that meant killing her.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4: The Beginning**

The next morning Stefan ventured out towards the garden in search of Elena. He found her crouched over freshly tilled earth. When he approached, she was just beginning to dig small holes to place for the new daffodil bulbs she had purchased the day before.

"Good morning Elena," he said with his signature smile. Elena gazed up at him with a look of bewilderment on her face.

As if to answer her question he added, "Mrs. Flowers told me your name yesterday." _Among other things I'm sure, _Elena thought. "Would you like some help?" he questioned.

She appeared to think about it for a second and then promptly handed him a small garden shovel.

With tool in hand, he kneeled down next to her and began to dig additional holes. "What are you planting today?" he inquired. At this she reached behind her and pulled out a package of daffodil bulbs. "Ah, daffodils. They are nice flowers." Elena nodded in agreement.

Nearly half an hour later, the final bulbs were placed in the ground. At this Stefan stood from his spot on the ground and promptly reached out his hand to help Elena up. _How chivalrous, _she thought to herself. The duo promptly gathered the remaining tools and headed back into the boarding house.

"Where would you like these?" he asked gesturing to the small garden tools he had been carrying. She signaled for him to follow her and they quickly climbed the stairs to the third floor. As Elena walked ahead of him, to her room he assumed, he couldn't help but let his eyes travel down her backside. He took in her petite frame and the natural sway of her hips as she walked. There was no doubt about it. Elena was attractive. He became so distracted that he hardly even noticed when she stopped at a door at the end of the hall.

Stefan looked around suspiciously. How had he not noticed that Elena's room was right next door to his?

Elena promptly opened the door and walked over to a small toolbox at the foot of her bed. In an instant Elena had the box open and was beginning to put her tools inside.

Stefan took this opportunity to gaze around Elena's bedroom. The most prominent feature was the crimson comforter flowing off her bed with the half a dozen or so pillows placed neatly on top of it. From there he glanced to her nightstand. It was rather simple, only holding a small vase of flowers and an antique clock. To the left of the nightstand was a dark wooden trunk much like the one in his room, he noted.

It was at this point that he noticed Elena on the ground, staring back up at him. "Sorry," he stated and handed her the tools he had been carrying. When she had finished putting them away, she rose and sat in the oak chair in front of her desk. The desk, itself, only had a laptop and a small pencil cup. _She's lives simply,_ he noted.

Elena gazed up at him as if to inquire about the questioning look on his face. Stefan took one last look around the room and said, "You don't have any pictures." At this Elena immediately became solemn. This room was so different from her room in high school. Back then her bedroom had been filled with photo collages of her friends, family and, of course, Matt. That room was so vivacious and cheerful. But her life now was anything but cheerful, and her room reflected that. She couldn't bring herself to display any pictures. Not of Matt, for obvious reasons, and especially not of any of her friends. After the incident her friends had been so comforting and supportive. But that only lasted for a short time. They soon gave up when they realized she wasn't going to speak to them. One of the saddest moments in your life is that moment when even your best friend doesn't understand you anymore. To that, Elena shook her head as a single tear ran down her cheek.

"I'm sorry, Elena," Stefan said genuinely. "I didn't mean to upset you." Elena looked back up at him and gave him a sad smile. With that he put a strong hand on her shoulder and gave it a light squeeze. Elena pulled a tissue out of one of her desk drawers and began to dab at her eyes.

Stefan felt a tiny pang in his heart. He knew what it was like to lose the one you loved. Even two hundred years later, he still thought of Katherine. She had been his first and only love. She had made him into… what he was today.

"I'm so sorry, Elena."

He wished he could make everything better for her. He wished he could take her pain away. But at this point, all he could do was let her know that he was there for her. There if she needed him and there if she wanted him to be.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five: The Turning Point**

Stefan's eyes traveled slowly down Elena's slim arm, following her sleek lines until his eyes stopped at her exposed neck. _Oh how I wouldn't love to…_ Stefan tore his eyes from her just as she pulled her hand from the top shelf- cup in hand. He couldn't deny the hunger that consumed him whenever he caught a glimpse of her neck.

He always tried to feed before he spent time with her; but these days, the two were nearly inseparable so it was often hard to get away.

Stefan cherished the moments he spent with Elena, which even he found odd. How could two people form a healthy relationship when one of them never even spoke? But it was true. In the past three weeks, the duo had become rather close. The majority of their time they spent in each other's company. They gardened, cooked, watched tv, read, and even wrote in their journals together. By now, Stefan had become nearly a professional at reading Elena's facial expressions. Everything she needed to say was written all over her face. Or so he thought.

That night, after Stefan cleared the dishes and bid goodnight to Elena, he returned to his room in solitude. When he first spoke to Mrs. Flowers about renting a room at the boarding house he had specifically requested a room on the top floor. He was familiar with the building and knew that every room on the top floor had access to the roof. This made in more convenient for him to come and go as he pleased.

Stefan took one last look around his room, pulled the pocket stairs from his ceiling, and climbed up the ladder into the warm spring night. He needed to eat, and he needed to eat now.

A few minutes later, Stefan found himself in the woods. _There has to be something here for me to eat. _ Just then, a small white rabbit ran out in front of him.

****

_Dear Diary,_

_Stefan has been spending more time with me lately. We seem to do everything together. He even helped me make dinner for Mrs. Flowers and the others tonight. I really enjoy the company. But... I think it's more than that. I think… No. I won't admit it. I can't admit it. I couldn't do that to Matt's memory. I don't care if it's been years since we were together. I still care about him. I think I always will. He was my best friend first… and always. You can't just forget about your best friend…_

_Elena_

_****_

Standing over the, now, lifeless rabbit, Stefan wiped the last remains of blood from his lips.

He hated living like this. He hated having to kill a defenseless little creature just to sustain life. They were living breathing creatures too and they didn't deserve this. But, in his eyes, killing an animal was the lesser of two evils.

He drew his eyes from the animal and took in his surroundings. Something about this place looked so… familiar. Suddenly, a force consumed him, overtaking his being. It drew him towards a clearing in the forest. Images flashed before him.

_This is it! This is the place!_ _But it couldn't be. All this time and it was right under my nose._

****

Stefan quietly crept into his room, closing the door to the roof behind him. He glanced at the clock. 2am. One of the many downsides to being one of the "undead" was the incessant boredom that consumed you during the night. While the rest of the world slept, you remained awake. After all, vampires really didn't need to sleep, just as they really didn't need to eat or drink.

Stefan lye down on his bed and pulled a newspaper from his nightstand. He used the night to catch up on the news so that he would have something to tell Elena in the morning.

He opened the newspaper to the international section and began to read. But something stopped him when he was only two lines into the article.

A piercing scream burst through his wall. Stefan sprang from his bed in an instant. He rushed to the door, swung it open, and quickly tried to determine where the shrieking was coming from.

_Elena?! It couldn't be. But it's coming from her room._

He knocked frantically on her door. "Elena! It's Stefan." The screaming only continued. He tried the door and to his surprise it was unlocked.

Twisting frantically on her bed, a sleeping Elena screamed with such horror in her voice that it was frightening to anyone that heard it.

Stefan swiftly traveled to her bed and sat down beside her. "Elena," he whispered, while gently stroking her hair. "Elena, wake up." With a start, Elena's eyes ripped open but she continued screaming. "Hey, hey, it's just me, Stefan," he softly cooed to her. Elena became aware of her surroundings and abruptly stopped screaming. But in an instant, hysterical crying consumed her, rattling her entire body. "It's okay. It was only a dream" his hand returning to her hair. With tears streaming down her face, she struggled to sit up. Her sobbing had become so overpowering that she could hardly breathe. Stefan wrapped his arms around her and lightly rocked her back and forth. "It's over. You're safe now. Everything's going to be okay." Elena's arms reached around his body and held him closer as she continued to cry. _If only that were true, _she thought to herself.

Elena continued weeping until it seemed that her tear ducts could not bear to produce any more liquid. With her head resting on Stefan's chest, she slowly drifted back to sleep remaining cradled in his protective arms.


End file.
